The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation on Wednesday designed to help companies and the federal government better defend against the growing threat of cyberattacks, despite opposition from privacy advocates.

Passed by a 307-116 vote, the controversial Protecting Cyber Networks Act encourages US companies to share information about security breaches with the federal government by providing them with expanded legal liability protections. Prompted in part by a recent uptick in high-profile data breaches, the legislation would allow companies to share information through a “cyber portal” administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

Supporters say the legislation — similar to a measure approved last month by the Senate Intelligence Committee — could help prevent and mitigate the effects of cyberattacks, which typically result in the theft of consumers’ personal information. A hack at Home Depot last year exposed 56 million credit card numbers, while another at Target yielded credit card data of 40 million Target customers and the personal information for an additional 70 million customers. In January, insurance provider Anthem revealed that hackers had accessed the personal data of as many 80 million people, including their Social Security numbers.

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